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constituteproject.org
Comoros's Constitution of
2001 with Amendments
through 2009
© Oxford University Press, Inc.
Translated by Max Planck Institute
Prepared for distribution on constituteproject.org with content generously provided by Oxford University
Press. This document has been recompiled and reformatted using texts collected in Oxford’s Constitutions
of the World.
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Table of contents
Preamble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
TITLE I: UNION OF THE COMOROS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Article 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Article 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Article 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Article 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Article 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Article 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
TITLE II: RESPECTIVE POWERS OF THE UNION AND THE ILANDS . . . . . . . . . . 5
Article 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Article 7.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Article 7.2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Article 7.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Article 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Article 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Article 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Article 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
TITLE III: INSTITUTIONS OF THE UNION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapter I: Executive Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapter II: Legislative Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Chapter III: Judicial Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
TITLE IV: RELATIONS BETWEEN THE LEGISLATIVE POWER AND THE
EXECUTIVE POWER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Article 31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Article 32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Article 33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
TITLE V: DECENTRALIZED COOPERATON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Article 34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Article 35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
TITLE VI: CONSTITUTIONAL COURT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Article 36 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Article 37 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Article 38 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Article 39 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Article 40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
TITLE VII: CONSULTATIVE BODIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Article 41 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
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TITLE VIII: REVISION OF THE CONSTITUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Article 42 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
TITLE IX: TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Article 43 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Article 44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Article 45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Article 46 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
TITLE X: FINAL PROVISIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
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Preamble
• Official religion
• Status of religious law
• Reference to fraternity/solidarity
• International organizations
• International human rights treaties
• Treaty ratification
• Reference to fraternity/solidarity
• General guarantee of equality
• General guarantee of equality
• Equality regardless of gender
• Equality regardless of creed or belief
• Equality regardless of origin
• Equality regardless of race
• Equality regardless of religion
• Freedom of press
• Freedom of assembly
• Freedom of association
• Freedom of expression
• Right to join trade unions
• Right to establish a business
• Right to competitive marketplace
• Right to privacy
• Protection from expropriation
• Right to own property
• State operation of the media
• Right to health care
• Rights of children
• Limits on employment of children
• Protection of environment
The Comorian people solemnly affirm their will
• to draw from Islam, the religion of the state, the permanent inspiration of
the principles and rules that govern the Union;
• to guarantee the pursuit of a common destiny of the Comorians;
• to give themselves new institutions which are founded on the rule of law
and democracy, respect the principles of good governance and guarantee a
power-sharing between the Union and the islands which are its members in
order to allow them to realize their legitimate aspirations, to administer
and manage freely, without obstacles, their own affairs and to promote
their socio-economic development;
• to emphasize their commitment to the principles and fundamental rights
defined by the Charter of the United Nations, by the Charter of the
Organization of African Unity, by the Pact of the League of Arab States, by
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and by the African Charter on
Human and Peoples’ Rights, as well as by the international conventions,
particularly those relating to childrens’ and womens’ rights.
They proclaim:
• the solidarity between the Union and the islands and among the islands
themselves;
• the equality of the islands concerning rights and duties;
• the equality of all concerning rights and duties without distinctions based
on sex, origin, race, religion or belief;
• the equality of all before the courts and the right of anyone who is subject
to the jurisdiction of the courts to defend himself;
• the freedom and security of each individual under the sole condition that he
does not commit any act likely to harm others;
• the right to obtain information from a variety of sources and to freedom of
the press;
• freedom of expression and of assembly, freedom of association and
freedom to organize trade unions, subject to respect for morals and public
order;
• freedom of enterprise as well as the safety of capital and investments;
• the inviolability of the domicile in the conditions defined by law;
• the right to strike within the framework of the laws which regulate it;
• the guarantee of property rights, save in cases of public utility or necessity
determined in accordance with the law and subject to just compensation;
• the right to health and education for all;
• the right of the child and of the youth to be protected by the public
authorities against any form of abandonment, exploitation and violence;
• the right to an intact environment and the duty of all to preserve that
environment.
This Preamble shall be considered an integral part of the Constitution.
TITLE I: UNION OF THE COMOROS
Article 1
The Union of the Comoros shall be a Republic, consisting of the autonomous islands
of Mwali (Mohéli), Maoré (Mayotte), Ndzuwani (Anjouan), N’gazidja (Grande
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• Type of government envisioned
Comore).
• National flag
The national emblem shall be yellow, white, red, blue, a white crescent turned to the
right and four white stars aligned from one end of the crescent to the other in an
isosceles triangle on a green undercoat.
• National anthem
The national hymn shall be: Umodja Wa Massiwa.
• National motto
• Reference to fraternity/solidarity
The motto of the Union shall be “Unity-Solidarity-Development.”
An Act of the Union shall determine the seal of the Union.
• Official or national languages
• National capital
The official languages shall be the Shikomor, the national language, French and
Arabic.
Article 2
Moroni shall be the capital of the Union. An Institutional Act shall fix the status of the
city and determine the islands where the institutions of the Union have their seat.
• Emergency provisions
• Municipal government
• Referenda
Article 3
Sovereignty shall vest in the people which shall exercise it, in each island and in the
Union as a whole, through its elected representatives or by referendum. No section
of the people nor any individual may arrogate to itself, or to himself, the exercise
thereof.
Article 4
• Secret ballot
• Claim of universal suffrage
In the conditions determined by statute suffrage shall be universal, equal and secret.
It may be direct or indirect.
• Restrictions on voting
All Comorians of either sex who are in possession of their civil and political rights
may vote as provided for by statute.
• Requirements for birthright citizenship
• Conditions for revoking citizenship
• Requirements for naturalization
Article 5
Comorian nationality may be acquired, kept and lost according to statute. No one
who is Comorian by birth may be deprived of his nationality.
• Restrictions on political parties
• Right to form political parties
Article 6
Political parties and groups shall contribute to the exercise of suffrage, as well as to
civic and political education of the people. They shall be formed and carry on their
activities freely, in accordance with Union legislation. They shall respect national
unity, sovereignty and the inviolability of the borders of the Comoros as
internationally recognized, as well as the principles of democracy.
TITLE II: RESPECTIVE POWERS OF THE UNION AND THE
ILANDS
• Municipal government
• Subsidiary unit government
Article 7
Respecting the unity of the Union and the inviolability of its borders as
internationally recognized, each island shall administer and manage its affairs freely.
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Each island shall freely establish its status law while respecting the Constitution of
the Union.
Comorans shall have the same rights, liberties and duties in each part of the Union.
• Freedom of movement
No authority may adopt measures which either directly or indirectly would restrict
the free movement and the freedom of residence of persons or the free circulation of
goods in any part of the territory of the Union.
Article 7.1
Any secession or attempt at secession of one or several autonomous islands shall be
prohibited.
Each act which infringes the territorial integrity or national unity shall be considered
as secession.
Each act or measure which is likely to infringe the unity of the Republic or to
endanger the integrity of the national territory taken by an authority of an
autonomous island or the Union shall be null and void. Judicial prosecutions
notwithstanding, the nullity shall be declared by the Constitutional Court upon
request by the President of the Union, by the President of the Assembly of the
Union, by five Members of the Assembly of the Union, or by each citizen.
Article 7.2
In the autonomous islands the executive and deliberative functions shall be
exercised by different organs.
The executive function shall be exercised by a Governor assisted by Commissioners.
The Governor shall be elected by direct universal suffrage under a system of
majority voting in two rounds for a term of five years, renewable once. In the case of
resignation or permanent incapacity occurring within nine-hundred days after the
start of his term and duly declared by the Constitutional Court upon request of the
executive of the island the functions of Governor shall temporarily be exercised by
the President of the Island Council. The election of a new Governor shall take place
within forty-five days by indirect suffrage by the representatives of the Island
Council and the mayors sitting as Congress.
The election shall take place by absolute majority of the members of the Congress. If
this majority is not obtained on the first ballot, a second round of voting shall be held
in which a simple majority of the members present shall suffice. The new Governor
shall be elected for the rest of the term. During the period of forty-five days the
Interim-Governor shall not appoint any new Commissioners.
If the vacancy or the permanent incapacity occurs later than nine-hundred days after
the start of the Governor’s term, the interim shall be ensured by the President of the
Island Council until the end of the term.
The Governor shall be the Head of the autonomous island.
He shall exercise by way of edict the powers which are assigned to him by the
Constitution and the status law of the autonomous island. He shall ensure due
respect for the Constitution and guarantee the implementation of the statutes and
regulations of the Union in the island.
He shall make public the deliberations of the Island Council.
He shall be the Head of the relevant administration of the island.
The Governor shall be kept informed of the implementation of the measures of the
Union in the island.
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The Governor shall appoint the Commissioners whose number may not exceed six
(6), and terminate their functions.
The deliberating function shall be exercised by an Island Council.
The Island Council shall regulate the matters of the autonomous island through its
deliberations.
The Councilors of the Island shall be elected together with their substitutes
(suppléants) by simple majority in single-member constituencies for a term of five
years. An Act of the Union shall determine the number of the constituencies and the
modalities of the vote.
The number of the Councilors shall not exceed:
• nine (9) for Mwali;
• eleven (11) for Maoré;
• nineteen (19) for N’dzuwani;
• twenty-three (23) for Ngazidja.
The office of Island Councilor does not give a right to remuneration. However, travel
and attendance allowances may be granted to him by edict of the Governor within
the limits fixed by statutory legislation.
The composition, organization and functioning of the Island Council as well as the
modalities and terms for the election of its members shall be determined by
statutory legislation.
The terms concerning the competences and the functioning of the office of Governor
as well as the relations between the Governor’s office and the Island Council shall be
fixed by statutory regulation.
• Municipal government
• Subsidiary unit government
Article 7.3
The autonomous islands shall comprise territorial communities which shall freely
govern themselves through elected executive and deliberating organs, in the
procedures and conditions determined by the legislation of the Union.
• National vs subnational laws
Article 8
Union law shall take precedence over the law of the islands; it shall be executed in
the whole territory of the Comoros.
• Supermajority required for legislation
• Subsidiary unit government
Article 9
The following matters shall fall within the jurisdiction of the autonomous islands:
• administration of the local communities;
• organization of administrative, commercial or industrial entities and units
of an island character other than State companies;
• police in the cities and in the rural areas;
• Fairs and markets;
• distribution of island grants and scholarships;
• road administration;
• administration of secondary roads;
• local planning with regard to the island territory;
•
•
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construction, furnishing, maintenance and management of facilities in
preparatory, primary and secondary education as well as of their staff;
local professional training at the elementary level;
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•
•
•
non-industrial fishing;
agriculture and breeding, with the exception of breeding schemes and
research activities;
construction, furnishing, maintenance and management of basic healthcare
facilities and of their staff.
Matters other than those referred to in the preceding paragraph shall fall within the
jurisdiction of the Union.
The autonomous islands shall generate their own revenues for the exercise of their
powers by levying fees and internal taxes on goods and services in accordance with
the Finance Act.
• Accession of territory
• Colonies
• Treaty ratification
• Legal status of treaties
Article 10
Peace Treaties, Trade agreements, treaties or agreements relating to international
organization, those committing the finances of the State, those modifying provisions
which are the preserve of statute law, those relating to the status of persons, and
those involving the ceding, exchanging or acquiring of territory, may be ratified or
approved only by an Act of Parliament.
They shall not take effect until such ratification or approval has been secured.
If the Constitutional Court, upon referral by the President of the Union, by the
President of the Assembly of the Union or by the Heads of the island executives has
held that an international undertaking contains a clause contrary to the
Constitution, authorization to ratify or approve the international undertaking
involved may be given only after amending the Constitution.
Treaties or agreements duly ratified or approved shall, upon publication, prevail over
Acts of the Union or the islands, subject, with respect to each agreement or treaty, to
its application by the other party.
• Subsidiary unit government
Article 11
The islands shall enjoy financial autonomy.
They shall freely enact and execute their budgets in accordance with the principles
applicable to the management of public finances.
An Institutional Act shall determine the respective share of the revenues to which
the Union and the islands shall be entitled. The division of revenues shall be
implemented within the framework of the annual Finance Act of the Union.
Subjects to the conditions defined by the Institutional Act the islands may create for
the benefit of their budgets taxes and levies not provided for by the law of the Union.
• Reference to fraternity/solidarity
The Union shall distribute external aid and investments equitably among the islands,
while upholding the principles of solidarity and complementarity which govern their
relations.
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TITLE III: INSTITUTIONS OF THE UNION
Chapter I: Executive Power
Article 12
• Name/structure of executive(s)
• Foreign affairs representative
The President of the Union shall be the symbol of national unity. He shall be the
guarantor of the inviolability of the borders as internationally recognized and of the
sovereignty of the Union. He shall be the arbiter and the moderator of the proper
functioning of the institutions. He shall be the highest representative of the Union in
international relations.
• Foreign affairs representative
• Treaty ratification
The President of the Union shall determine and conduct the foreign policy. He shall
accredit ambassadors and envoys extraordinary to foreign powers; foreign
ambassadors and envoys extraordinary shall be accredited to him. He shall negotiate
and ratify treaties.
• Selection of active-duty commanders
The President of the Union shall be the Head of Government. In this capacity, he
shall determine and conduct the policy of the Union. He shall have at his disposal the
administration of the Union and shall have the power to make regulations. He shall
make appointments to civil and military posts of the Union.
• Designation of commander in chief
The President of the Union shall be the Commander-in-Chief of the Armies. He shall
be responsible for external defense.
• Power to pardon
The President of the Union shall be vested with the power to grant pardons.
Article 12.1
• Dismissal of the legislature
The President of the Union may, after consulting the President of the Assembly of
the Union, declare the Union Assembly dissolved.
The general election of the representatives of the Union shall take place no fewer
than twenty days and no more than forty days after the dissolution.
In this case each island shall appoint new representatives to the Assembly of the
Union from the ranks of its Council.
The former representatives of the islands appointed to the Assembly of the Union
shall not be reappointed in the year which follows the election of the Assembly,
unless a renewal of the Council of the island concerned has taken place.
The Assembly of the Union shall sit as of right on the second Thursday following its
election. Should this sitting fall in a period between two sessions, a session shall be
convened as of rights for a fifteen-day period.
No further dissolution shall take place within a year following said election.
• Deputy executive
Article 12.2
The President of the Union may delegate certain of his powers to the Vice
Presidents.
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• Emergency provisions
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Article 12.3
Where the constitutional institutions, the independence of the nation, the integrity
of its territory or the fulfillment of its international commitments are under serious
and immediate threat, and where the proper functioning of the constitutional
authorities is interrupted, the President of the Union shall take the emergency
measures required by these circumstances, after formally consulting the Council of
Ministers, the President of the Assembly of the Union and the Constitutional Court.
These measures shall be inspired by the will to provide the constitutional authorities
as swiftly as possible with the means to carry out their duties.
The President of the Union shall address the nation and inform it of such measures.
The Assembly of the Union shall sit as of right. It shall not be dissolved during the
exercise of the emergency powers. It may terminate the emergency powers by vote
of a two-thirds majority of its members.
• Head of government decree power
Article 12.4
The President of the Union may, upon authorization by the Assembly of the Union,
enact legislation by ordinance on matters which fall normally within its jurisdiction.
The ordinances shall be tabled before the bureau of the Assembly in the session
following the end of the authorization period fixed by the Enabling Act.
Article 12.5
In order to discuss issues concerning the political, social or economic life of the
nation the President of the Union may, subject to the terms of the Constitution of
the Union, convene and chair a conference in which the Vice Presidents, the
President of the Assembly of the Union, the Governors and the Presidents of the
Island Councils take part.
• Deputy executive
• Deputy executive
• Name/structure of executive(s)
A Vice President or the President of the Assembly of the Union may chair the
conference upon delegation by the President of the Union.
Article 13
• Minimum age of head of government
• Head of government selection
• Head of government term length
• Head of government term limits
The presidency shall rotate among the islands. The President and the Vice Presidents
shall be elected by direct universal suffrage under a system of majority voting in two
rounds for a term of five years, subject to the rotation. A primary shall be held in the
island concerned and only the three candidates which have received the highest
numbers of votes cast may stand in the presidential election. In no case may the
presidential primary be held on two successive occasions on the same island.
• God or other deities
• Oaths to abide by constitution
Before taking office the President of the Union and the Vice Presidents take an oath
before the Constitutional Court with these words spoken in the Comorian language:
• God or other deities
• Oaths to abide by constitution
“I swear before Allah, the Merciful and the most Compassionate, to loyally and
honestly fulfill the duties of my office, to act only in the general interest and in
conformity with the Constitution.”
• Eligibility for head of government
• Supermajority required for legislation
The conditions of eligibility and the modalities of application of the present Article
shall be fixed by Institutional Act.
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• Deputy executive
• Head of government removal
• Head of government replacement
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Article 14
In the case of a vacancy or permanent incapacity of the President occurring within
nine-hundred days after the beginning of his term and duly declared by the
Constitutional Court upon request by the Government, a new President shall be
elected. If the vacancy or the permanent incapacity occurs later than nine-hundred
days after the start of the term, the Vice President from the island which is next in
line for the presidency shall complete the presidential term. In the first case the
councilors and mayors of the island concerned convene in Congress within forty-five
days and vote, and only the three candidates who have obtained the highest
numbers of votes are allowed to stand in the indirect election by the representatives
of the assemblies of the islands and the Union convened in Congress. The election
takes place with the absolute majority of the members of the Congress. If this
majority is not obtained on the first ballot, a second round of voting will be held in
which a simple majority of the members present shall suffice for the election.
The elected President shall complete the current term.
During the period of forty-five days mentioned in the first paragraph of the present
Article, the functions of the President shall temporarily be exercised by the Vice
President from the island whose turn it is to take over the rotating presidency. He
shall not change the Government, nor dissolve the Assembly, nor have recourse to
the emergency powers.
• Deputy executive
• Head of government's role in the
legislature
• Supermajority required for legislation
Article 15
The functions of President of the Union and of Vice President shall be incompatible
with the exercise of any other elective mandate, any other political function, any
public post, any public or private professional activity and any leadership function in
a political party or group. Nevertheless the Vice Presidents of the Union shall be
given responsibility for a ministerial department. An Institutional Act shall
determine the issues for which the countersignature of the Vice Presidents is
needed.
The Vice President shall coordinate the action of the different ministerial
departments in the island he comes from and monitor the lawfulness of the decisions
taken by the executive of that island.
Article 16
• Establishment of cabinet/ministers
• Cabinet selection
• Deputy executive
The President of the Union, with the assistance of the three Vice-Presidents, shall
appoint the Ministers and other members of the Government whose number shall
not exceed ten (10). The Government of the Union shall be composed in a manner
which ensures the just and equitable representation of the islands.
• Eligibility for cabinet
The functions of Minister shall be incompatible with the exercise of any elective
national mandate except those conferred by the territorial communities, any
function of professional representation, any public post and any professional
activity.
• Approval of general legislation
• Veto override procedure
Article 17
The President of the Union shall promulgate Acts of the Union within fifteen days
following the final passage of an Act and its transmission to the Government. He
may, before the expiry of this time limit, ask the Assembly of the Union, which shall
decide by absolute majority, to reopen debate on the Act or any sections thereof.
Such reopening of debate shall not be refused.
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• Legislative oversight of the executive
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Article 18
The President of the Union shall establish an annual report on the state of the Union
for the information of the Assembly of the Union, the Constitutional Court as well as
the assemblies and executives of the islands.
Chapter II: Legislative Power
• Structure of legislative chamber(s)
Article 19
The Assembly of the Union shall be the legislative body of the Union.
It shall enact the statutes, including the statutes on the execution of the budget,
adopt the budget and control the action of the Ministers and other members of the
Government.
Article 20
• Size of first chamber
• First chamber selection
• Electoral districts
• First chamber representation quotas
• Size of first chamber
• First chamber selection
The Assembly of the Union shall be composed of:
• twenty-four (24) representatives of the nation elected by universal
suffrage in single-member constituencies on the basis of majority voting in
two rounds;
• representatives of the autonomous islands appointed by the Island
Councils from among their ranks, at the number of three (3) for each
autonomous island.
• Attendance by legislators
• Term length for first chamber
The members of the Assembly of the Union shall wear the title of Deputy of the
Union. The National Assembly shall be renewed integrally. The powers of the
Assembly shall expire at the start of ordinary April session of the fifth year following
the election of the representatives of the nation. In the case of a dissolution, the
elections of the representatives of the nation shall take place in the sixty days
preceding the expiry of the powers of the Assembly of the Union.
• Replacement of legislators
• First chamber representation quotas
An Elections Act shall determine the modalities of the vote and the delimitation of
the constituencies whose number shall not be inferior to three in each island. The
modalities and the terms of the appointment of the representatives of the
autonomous islands in the Assembly of the Union shall be determined by the Rules of
Procedure of the Council of the island concerned. The Island Council shall proceed
each year to the appointment of its representatives at the Assembly of the Union.
The functions of Deputy of the Union Assembly of a representative from an
autonomous island shall expire simultaneously with the powers of the Council of
that island. Each Deputy who ceases to be a member of the Council of the island he
comes from shall cease at the same time to be a member of Assembly of the Union.
He shall be replaced.
• Leader of first chamber
The President of the Assembly of the Union shall be elected for the duration of the
legislature.
• Compensation of legislators
• Replacement of legislators
• Minimum age for first chamber
• Eligibility for first chamber
An Institutional Act shall determine the conditions and modalities for the election of
the Deputies of the Assembly of the Union and its President, the terms of
disqualifications and incompatibilities applying to members as well as their
allowances. It shall specify the manner of election of those persons called upon to
replace the Deputies whose seats have become vacant until the general or partial
renewal of the Assembly of the Union.
• Supermajority required for legislation
The Assembly of the Union shall adopt with the majority of two thirds of its members
its Rules of Procedure. Before their application the Constitutional Court shall rule on
their conformity with the Constitution.
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• Immunity of legislators
• Standing committees
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Article 21
No Member of the Assembly of the Union shall be prosecuted, investigated,
arrested, detained or tried in respect of opinions expressed or votes cast in the
discharge of his functions.
No Member of the Assembly of the Union shall be prosecuted or arrested in penal
matters nor shall he be subjected to other custodial or semi-custodial measures
during the session period without the authorization of the Assembly, except in the
case of a crime or offense committed flagrante delicto.
No Member of the Assembly of the Union may be arrested between session periods
without the authorization of the Bureau of the Assembly, except where a crime or
offense has been committed flagrante delicto, prosecutions have been authorized or
a conviction has become final.
Article 22
No Member shall be elected with any binding mandate.
The right to vote of the Members of the Assembly of the Union shall be exercised in
person.
Union legislation may in exceptional cases authorize voting by proxy. In that event,
no member shall be given more than one proxy.
• Length of legislative sessions
Article 23
The Assembly of the Union shall sit as of right in two ordinary sessions each year
whose total duration shall not exceed six months. The days and hours of sittings shall
be determined by the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of the Union.
• Extraordinary legislative sessions
• Public or private sessions
The Assembly of the Union shall meet in extraordinary session at the request of the
President of the Union or of the absolute majority of the Deputies to debate a
specific agenda. The extraordinary session shall be closed not later than fifteen days
after the Assembly’s first sitting.
Article 24
The sittings of the Assembly of the Union shall in principle be public, except in the
cases provided for in the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly.
• Initiation of general legislation
• Organic laws
• Standing committees
• Establishment of cabinet/ministers
• Powers of cabinet
Article 25
Both the President of the Union and the Deputies shall have the right to initiate
legislation.
Government Bills shall be discussed in the Council of Ministers and shall be tabled in
the Bureau of the Assembly of the Union.
• Finance bills
The Deputies and the Government shall have the right of amendment.
Private Members’ Bills and amendments introduced by Members of the Assembly of
the Union shall not be admissible where their enactment would result in either a
diminution of public revenue of the Union or the creation or increase of any public
expenditure of the Union.
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At the request of the Government or of the Assembly of the Union Government Bills
and Private Members’ Bills shall be referred for consideration to committees
established by the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of the Union or specially set
up for this purpose.
• Organic laws
Article 26
Acts of Parliament which are defined by the Constitution as being Institutional Acts
shall be enacted and amended as provided for hereinafter.
• Approval of general legislation
• Supermajority required for legislation
A Government or Private Member’s Bill shall not be debated and put to the vote in
the Assembly of the Union until fifteen days have elapsed since the tabling thereof.
Institutional Acts shall be passed by a majority of two thirds of the Members of the
Assembly.
• Constitutionality of legislation
At the request of all the Deputies from one island the debate on the Act must be
reopened.
The Acts shall be promulgated after the Constitutional Court has declared their
conformity with the Constitution.
Article 27
• Budget bills
• Finance bills
The Assembly of the Union shall adopt the Finance Bills with a two-thirds majority.
Should the Assembly of the Union fail to reach a decision within sixty days, the
provisions of the Bill may be brought into force by Ordinance.
Chapter III: Judicial Power
Article 28
• Judicial independence
The judicial power shall be independent of the legislative power and the executive
power.
In the exercise of their functions the judges shall only be subject to the authority of
the law.
Judges shall be irremovable from office.
• Establishment of judicial council
The President of the Republic shall be the guarantor of the independence of the
judiciary. He shall be assisted by the High Council of the Judiciary, whose
composition, organization and functioning as well as the procedure to be followed
before it shall be determined by Institutional Act.
• Supermajority required for legislation
An Institutional Act shall regulate the status of judges and prosecutors.
• Supreme court selection
• Supermajority required for legislation
• Structure of the courts
Article 29
The Supreme Court shall be the highest judicial authority of the Union in criminal
and private law cases, administrative and auditing matters of the Union and the
islands. The decisions of the Supreme Court shall not be subject to appeal and shall
be binding on the executive power, the legislative power and all authorities in the
territory of the Union. An Institutional Act shall determine the composition as well as
the rules for the functioning of the Supreme Court.
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• Head of government removal
• Establishment of constitutional court
• Supermajority required for legislation
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Article 30
In the case of high treason the President, the Vice Presidents and the members of
the Government shall be brought before the Supreme Court sitting as High Court of
Justice. An Institutional Act shall determine the composition of the High Court, the
rules for its functioning and the procedures applicable before it.
TITLE IV: RELATIONS BETWEEN THE LEGISLATIVE
POWER AND THE EXECUTIVE POWER
Article 31
• Duty to pay taxes
• Right to own property
• Electoral districts
• Duty to serve in the military
• Protection from expropriation
In addition to the matters assigned to them by other articles of the Constitution,
Union statutes shall determine the rules concerning:
• civic rights and the fundamental guarantees granted to citizens for the
exercise of their civil liberties; the obligations imposed upon the person and
property of citizens;
• the law governing associations and political parties and the status of the
opposition;
• nationality, the status and capacity of persons, family law, inheritance and
gifts;
• the determination of serious crimes and other major offences and the
penalties they carry; criminal procedure; amnesty; the setting up of new
categories of courts;
• the base, rates and methods of collection of all types of taxes; the issuing of
currency.
Statutes shall also determine the rules governing:
• the administration of customs services;
• the management of State lands and of the land registry;
• the management of publicly funded companies;
• systems of ownership, property rights and civil and commercial obligations;
• the system for electing Members of the Assembly of the Union;
• the setting up of categories of public legal entities;
• the status of civil servants and members of the Armed Forces and the
fundamental guarantees granted to them;
• nationalization of companies and the transfer of ownership of companies
from the public to the private sector;
• expropriations in the public interest.
Statutes shall lay down the basic principles of:
• the general organization of defense and national security;
• the general organization of the administrative, social and financial
investigation authorities;
• education and national public diploma;
• information and the new information technologies.
Article 32
Matters other than those coming under the scope of statute law shall be matters for
regulation.
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Article 33
The Assembly of the Union may call one or several Ministers or other members of
the Government to account by addressing a petition to the President of the Union.
Such a petition shall not be admissible unless it is signed by at least one third of the
members of the Assembly of the Union.
Voting may not take place within forty-eight hours after the petition has been tabled.
Solely votes cast in favor of the petition shall be counted and the latter can be
adopted only by a majority of two thirds of the Members of the Assembly of the
Union.
The Assembly of the Union shall not vote on more than two petitions per year, and
no petition shall be tabled in the course of an extraordinary session.
The President is under an obligation to terminate the functions of the Minister or
Ministers or other members of the Government targeted by the petition. He shall
not re-appoint them to ministerial functions in the six months following their
dismissal.
TITLE V: DECENTRALIZED COOPERATON
Article 34
Subject to the Constitution and within the limits of their respective powers, the
Union and the autonomous islands and the autonomous islands among themselves
may conclude accords of a social, economic or financial character.
Article 35
Within the limits of their respective powers and subject to the Constitution of the
Union of the Comoros and the international undertakings of the Union, the
autonomous islands may establish and maintain cooperation with foreign local
communities and non-governmental bodies.
No convention under the present Article may be concluded between an autonomous
island and a foreign State or an intergovernmental international organization unless
it forms part of a framework agreement between the Union of the Comoros and that
foreign State or intergovernmental international organization.
TITLE VI: CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
• Constitutional court powers
• Constitutional interpretation
• Establishment of constitutional court
• Constitutionality of legislation
• Federal review of subnational legislation
Article 36
The Constitutional Court shall rule on the constitutionality of the statutes of the
Union and the islands. It shall monitor the proper conduct of the electoral operations
in the islands as well as at Union level, including referendums; it shall rule on
electoral disputes. Finally, it shall guarantee the fundamental rights of the individual
and public liberties.
The Constitutional Court shall guarantee the distribution of powers between the
Union and the islands. It shall be competent to rule on the conflicts of jurisdiction
between two or several institutions of the Union, between the Union and the islands,
and among the islands themselves.
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Every citizen may request a ruling a ruling of the Constitutional Court on the
constitutionality of statutes, either directly or by way of objecting to the application
of an allegedly unconstitutional statute before a court of the Union or of an island in
a case involving him. The court shall stay the proceedings until the Constitutional
Court has given its ruling, which it shall do within thirty days.
• Constitutional court selection
• Establishment of constitutional court
Article 37
The President of the Union, the Vice Presidents of the Union, the President of the
Assembly of the Union, and the heads of the island executives shall each appoint one
member to the Constitutional Court.
• Establishment of constitutional court
Article 38
• Eligibility for const court judges
The members of the Constitutional Court shall be persons of great morality and
honesty and shall have recognized standing in legal, administrative, economic or
social matters. They must be able to point to a professional experience of at least
fifteen years. They shall be appointed for a renewable six-year term.
• Constitutional court term length
The President of the Constitutional Court shall be designated by his peers for a term
of six years, renewable once.
• Constitutional court removal
The members of the Constitutional Court shall be irremovable from office. They may
not be prosecuted or arrested without authorization of the Court, except in the case
of committing a crime or offense flagrante delicto.
• Eligibility for const court judges
The functions of a member of the Constitutional Court shall be incompatible with the
membership in the institutions of the Union or the islands, as well as with any public
employment or professional activity.
• Constitutional court removal
• Establishment of constitutional court
• Supermajority required for legislation
• Constitutionality of legislation
Article 39
An Institutional Act shall determine the rules governing the organization and the
functioning of the Constitutional Court, the procedure to be followed before it,
especially the conditions, modalities and time limits for a referral to the Court, as
well as the status of and the immunities and disciplinary rules applicable to its
members.
Article 40
• Constitutionality of legislation
A provision which has been declared unconstitutional shall be void and shall cease to
apply.
The decisions of the Constitutional Court shall not be subject to appeal. They shall be
binding on all public authorities and courts in the territory of the Union.
TITLE VII: CONSULTATIVE BODIES
Article 41
Consultative bodies may be established under the authority of the Presidency of the
Union.
The consultative bodies, including the Council of Ulemas and the Economic and
Social Council, shall assist the Government of the Union and the heads of the island
executives in the elaboration of decisions affecting the religious, economic and social
life of the country.
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A Union statute shall determine the modalities of consultation and of functioning of
these bodies.
TITLE VIII: REVISION OF THE CONSTITUTION
• Constitution amendment procedure
Article 42
The President of the Union and a minimum of one third of the Members of the
Assembly of the Union shall both have the right to initiate amendments to the
Constitution.
• Referenda
To be adopted, a Government or a Private Member’s Bill to amend the Constitution
must be approved by two thirds of the total membership of the Assembly of the
Union as well as by two thirds of the total membership of the Island Councils, or by
referendum.
• Unamendable provisions
No amendment procedure shall be initiated or continued where the integrity of the
national territory, the inviolability of its internationally recognized borders or the
autonomy of its islands is placed in jeopardy.
TITLE IX: TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS
Article 43
The institutions of the Union provided for in the present Constitution shall be
established within a period not exceeding twelve months starting with the adoption
of the present Constitution.
Article 44
The institutions of Maoré shall be established within a period not exceeding six
months, starting on the day on which the circumstances which prevent the island
from rejoining the Union of the Comoros cease to exist.
• Motives for writing constitution
The present Constitution shall be revised in order to draw the institutional
consequences of the return of Maoré to the Union of the Islands of Comoros.
Article 45
The present Constitution shall be adopted by referendum.
Article 46
The election of the President of the Union shall take place at the same time as the
election of the Governors.
TITLE X: FINAL PROVISIONS
During the transitional period the election of the councilors of the islands of Mwali,
N’dzuwani and Ngazidja shall be held at the same time as the election of the
Deputies of the Assembly of the Union.
During the transitional period and with a view to harmonizing the elections of the
heads of the island executives and of the Union, the Deputies and the councilors of
the islands convened in Congress shall fix by absolute majority the date of the
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elections of the President of the Union and of the Governors.
The provisions necessary for the application of the present Referendum Act shall be
issued either by ordinance or by decree adopted in the Council of Ministers.
The present Act shall enter into force with its promulgation by the President of the
Union within seven days of the proclamation of the referendum results by the
Constitutional Court.
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Topic index
A
Accession of territory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Approval of general legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 14
Attendance by legislators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
B
Budget bills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
C
Cabinet selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Claim of universal suffrage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Colonies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Compensation of legislators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Conditions for revoking citizenship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Constitution amendment procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Constitutional court powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Constitutional court removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Constitutional court selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Constitutional court term length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Constitutional interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Constitutionality of legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 16, 17
D
Deputy executive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 10, 11
Designation of commander in chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Dismissal of the legislature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Duty to pay taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Duty to serve in the military . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
E
Electoral districts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 15
Eligibility for cabinet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Eligibility for const court judges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Eligibility for first chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Eligibility for head of government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Emergency provisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 10
Equality regardless of creed or belief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Equality regardless of gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Equality regardless of origin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Equality regardless of race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Equality regardless of religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Establishment of cabinet/ministers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 13
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Establishment of constitutional court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15, 16, 17
Establishment of judicial council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Extraordinary legislative sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
F
Federal review of subnational legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Finance bills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 14
First chamber representation quotas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
First chamber selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Foreign affairs representative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Freedom of assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Freedom of association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Freedom of expression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Freedom of movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Freedom of press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
G
General guarantee of equality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
God or other deities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
H
Head of government decree power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Head of government removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 15
Head of government replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Head of government selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Head of government term length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Head of government term limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Head of government's role in the legislature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
I
Immunity of legislators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Initiation of general legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
International human rights treaties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
International organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
J
Judicial independence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
L
Leader of first chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Legal status of treaties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Legislative oversight of the executive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Length of legislative sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Limits on employment of children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
M
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Minimum age for first chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Minimum age of head of government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Motives for writing constitution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Municipal government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 7
N
Name/structure of executive(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 10
National anthem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
National capital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
National flag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
National motto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
National vs subnational laws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
O
Oaths to abide by constitution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Official or national languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Official religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Organic laws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 14
P
Power to pardon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Powers of cabinet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Protection from expropriation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 15
Protection of environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Public or private sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
R
Reference to fraternity/solidarity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 5, 8
Referenda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 18
Replacement of legislators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Requirements for birthright citizenship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Requirements for naturalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Restrictions on political parties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Restrictions on voting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Right to competitive marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Right to establish a business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Right to form political parties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Right to health care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Right to join trade unions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Right to own property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 15
Right to privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Rights of children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
S
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Secret ballot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Selection of active-duty commanders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Size of first chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Standing committees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
State operation of the media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Status of religious law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Structure of legislative chamber(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Structure of the courts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Subsidiary unit government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 7, 8
Supermajority required for legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17
Supreme court selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
T
Term length for first chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Treaty ratification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 8, 9
Type of government envisioned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
U
Unamendable provisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
V
Veto override procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
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